Safety
by The Avid Musician
Summary: Aila's parents were brutally murdered by an unknown enemy. Gibbs' team is called in to investigate. Will she survive long enough to find a new family? OC DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: not mine._

**Chapter One**_  
_

A young couple walked down the sidewalk in Norfolk, Virginia. They happily held hands and spoke of their daughter's achievements. These two were quite noticeable for the special fact that they were both red-heads, bright, vivid, red-heads.

Quite suddenly, a black van whipped around the corner. A black cylinder poked out from the window of the vehicle, showing lethal intent. The van came close and closer until they were within firing range. At that point, a passenger began to shoot at them, killing them almost instantly.

Several people raced out of their nearby homes, running to see what was going on. When the first person saw the two dead bodies and the car speeding away, they immediately whipped out their phone and called 911.

ooooooooo

Special Agent Tony Dinozzo walked in to the Squad Room at the NCIS building to find one of his colleagues, Tim McGee, typing furiously on his computer. After a few seconds, Time sat back and sighed heavily. "What's up, McNerdy? Glitch in the system?"

"I've been trying to make this work for the last three hours," he said dejectedly.

"Gear up! Drive by shooting at Norfolk!" their boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, called.

The team in the squad room quickly jumped to their feet. Each of them shouldered a backpack or other such bag before hurrying to the elevator, following their boss.


	2. Chapter 2

_I changed the timing of this story so it's when Kate was at NCIS, not Ziva._

**Chapter Two**

"Name is Captain Sean MacKinnon of the USS Normandy and wife Nairne MacKinnon, both immigrants from Kinloch Rannoch, U.K." Tony recited.

"Sounds Scottish," Kate commented.

"Yes, Kate, Scotland!" he returned slightly sarcastically.

"Bag and tag!" Gibbs said sharply.

"Ah, Boss? Their daughter is in protective custody. We'll need to speak to her," Tony said.

"Go get her, then, Dinozzo," Gibbs said, slightly exasperated.

"Yes, Boss," Tony said, leaping to his feet.

He drove to the MacKinnon's' house where two police cars were parked in front.

He walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. The police answered the door, obviously on guard.

"Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, here to take custody of Aileana MacKinnon," Tony said, showing his ID.

The police officer motioned him inside. They walked through a large foyer and into a lush, green living room. A beautiful, young, red-headed, late-teens girl sat on the large, comfortable-looking sofa. Her face was stained with rivulets where tears had previously flowed down her face. Her eyes were red and slightly puffed. Despite all of this, she looked stunningly beautiful.

"Ms. MacKinnon?" Tony asked gently.

She nodded and slowly brought her eyes up to meet his. Her eyes were the most vivid colour of dark blue he had ever seen. She whispered quietly, "Aila."

"Alright, Aila. Can you tell me what happened this morning?"

"Is this not a conversation for an interrogation room? I do believe I was not an actual witness for the event," Aila said quietly.

"What?" Tony asked, confused. She was just an 18 year old!

She smiled kindly and said, "I had forgotten that I appear as little more than a hysterical adolescent to one such as you. Do not let my appearance fool you, Special Agent Dinozzo. I have a BA in Creative Writing and Literature."

"How old are you?" Tony asked, his head still trying to wrap around a part of that.

"18," she said.

Tony's eyebrows raised in shock. His jaw went slack as well.

Aila burst out laughing at the expression on his face. "First, I am well passed going into shock or hysterics. Second, you might want to close your mouth. Finally, might I enquire as to the necessity of a protective detail at this time?"

"Your parents were just murdered in a drive-by shooting. Whoever killed them might come after you as well," Tony said, reminding her of the present circumstances.

"Well, I suppose you shall want information such as if they went out for walks often, who knew about the walks, who were my parents enemies, if any, and similar questions," Aila said, smiling knowingly.

"That's why I'm here," Tony said with a smile.

"To my knowledge, I am the only one that knows about their morning walks. They would take one every day and leave me at home to sleep in on the days when I was not already up studying.

My father had talked of issues with one of his officers on the _Normandy_, but he refused to go into specifics on the matter. I believe he thought it would distract me from my studies. I would suggest you ask my father's first mate, Commander Daniel Kenton. He's a friend of the family. He lives about a block east of here."

"I'll need you to come with me," he said.

"As you wish, though I may need some help walking as my bout of hysterics has left me rather weak," Aila said regretfully.

"Sure," Tony said gently, holding out an arm. He helped her up and out to the car.

As soon as she was in the passenger seat, Tony hurried over to where Kate was still taking pictures of the crime scene. "Kate, I need back-up to question MacKinnon's first mate, Commander Daniel Kenton. He lives a few blocks away," Tony said.

"Coming, Tony," she said, standing up straight.

As soon as Kate saw Aila, she asked Tony, "She isn't in shock?"

"She's an odd one, smarter even than McGeek," Tony commented, looking over at his female colleague.

Kate ignored the comment about their colleague and asked, "Is she honest?" That most definitely brought out her inner catholic.

"She's very fragile right now, but she's holding together," Tony said, an odd expression on his face. Tony was no psychologist, so what was he doing? He summed it up as, "She's trustworthy. She didn't lie."

Kate sat in the back seat of the car before saying, "Hello, Miss MacKinnon. My name is Special Agent Katelyn Todd, but you can call me Kate."

"Please call me Aila. I do not wish to be burdened by formalities," the red-head said.

Kate's eyebrows rose in astonishment. She was very well-spoken.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

When they arrived at Commander Kenton's house, Tony stopped Kate and Aila from getting out by saying, "Stay in the car. I'll question him."

Tony got out and went to the door.

When Kenton answered the door bell, Tony showed his badge and said, "Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo of NCIS. I have some questions for you about Sean and Nairne MacKinnon."

"Has something happened to them?" Kenton asked, alarmed and worried.

"They were killed this morning," Tony explained.

"They're dead?" Commander Kenton exclaimed.

"Drive-by shooting this morning," Tony elaborated.

"I have to see Aila!" he said, his eyes widening in what seemed to be a state of panic.

"Calm down, first, Commander," Tony said seriously.

"No! I have to see her!" the young Commander exclaimed. He was only 26. Kenton knocked Tony out of his way as he made a mad dash for his car. When he slammed the door open, his eyes locked on Aila, who was still seated in the car.

"Aila!" he yelled frantically.

She quickly opened the door and stepped out of the car. Kenton ran toward her and embraced her tightly. Frantically, he whispered to her, "It was Hestin! He's coming for you! He wanted to kill you for refusing him!"

"_Think you I am no stronger than my sex?"_

_ "The course of true love never did run smooth,"_ he returned.

"_Thou art a votary to fond desire,"_ she insisted.

"_Methinks the lady doth protest to much."_

_"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"_

Kate reached him then and hit him in the back of the head. Aila fell heavily with him to the ground. Kenton still refused to let go.

"Let go or I will shoot!" Kate exclaimed, her gun level with Kenton's head. In response, the Commander let his arms fall to the ground, releasing her. Tony quickly pulled her to her feet and pulled her into a hug so she could not see Kenton.

Kate made Kenton turn over before cuffing him and shoving him into the backseat next to her. Aila sat in the front seat while Tony drove, glancing at her often.

oooooooooooo

Tony drove back to the crime scene. As soon as he had parked on the side of the street, he said to Aila, "Come with me."

Aila nodded and got out of the car. She walked around the car over to Tony, who was waiting for her by the driver's side door. As soon as she was at his side, Tony began to walk toward Gibbs, who stood by where the bodies had been. Only then did Tony notice that Ducky's truck was no longer there. A second later, Kate fell into step on Aila's other side.

"DiNozzo, what happened?" Gibbs demanded as soon as he saw them.

"This is Aila, the victims' daughter. We have a suspect in custody for assaulting her," Tony said quickly in his "reporting to Boss" voice.

"Take her back to NCIS. Ducky can look after her while you question the suspect," Gibbs said, standing up to get a good look at her.

"Got it, Boss," Tony said, turning back to the car.

Kate followed him to the car. She stopped him from entering the car by laying a hand on his arm. "Do we follow rule #10?" she asked him in a whisper. They could both see how easy it could be for them to see Aila as their little sister.

Tony surreptitiously glanced at Aila before looking back to Kate. "No," he whispered back bluntly.

Kate nodded once and went back to the crime scene. Tony turned back and leaned against the car for a moment as he took a deep breath.

"Special Agent Dinozzo? Are you alright?" Aila asked, concerned for him.

"Call me Tony," he said.

"Are you alright, Tony?" Aila repeated.

"Yes." She was not convinced.

oooooooooooo

The pair arrived at NCIS, and Tony immediately took the red-head down to autopsy. "Do bodies bother you?" he asked as they stood in the elevator.

"Not at all," she said, seemingly confident. He could tell from her tone that she was still shocked by Kenton's actions. She was probably also worrying about her parents' murderer and if they would go after her.

"Don't worry, Aila. We'll keep you safe," he said comfortingly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Agent Dinozzo. It's just...either my parents or Kenton have always been there to make everything better. Without them...I'm not sure what will happen," she said sadly. She actually sounded her age now.

"Everything will be fine," he said, still trying to comfort her.

"How do you know?" Aila asked just before she started to cry.

"Hey. It'll be alright. You'll finish college and have a great job," he said, putting his arms around her so she had a shoulder to cry on.

"It's not that I'm worried about," she admitted quietly.

"What are you worried about, then?" he asked, surprised that she was not worried about what would happen to her.

"Kenton said...he said that whoever killed my parents was after me..." she said quietly.

"How would Kenton know?" Tony asked slightly pensively.

"I don't know..." she said, her tears nearly gone.

Just then, then elevator door opened to the autopsy level. "Come on, Aila," he said quietly, letting go of her only to take her hand. It felt nice...like she was a younger sister. He could kiss Rule #10 good bye.

"Jethro, I haven't even started yet!" Ducky said as soon as they entered autopsy. When he looked up, he saw them and said, "Oh! Tony! Who might I ask is this?"

"This is Aila MacKinnon, the victims' daughter," Tony said. "Gibbs wanted her down here while we work the case."

"Well, Miss MacKinnon, I'm Doctor Mallard, the Medical Examiner, but you can call me Ducky," he said, extending a hand to shake.

Aila smiled slightly and said quietly, "Please call me Aila." She shook his hand delicately.

"Aileana...You aren't perhaps from Scotland?" Ducky asked, guiding her over to look at one of the bullet wounds in her father.

"Yes. Kinloch Rannoch in the Grampian Mountains," she said, smiling at him.

"Fascinating. You know I knew a..." Ducky started.

Tony stopped listening as he exited autopsy. The two of them would get along famously.

As he left, Palmer walked in. "Doctor, are there any more cotton swabs? The truck's supply is low," a young man called from the entrance, interrupting Ducky and Aila's conversation.

Ducky looked up from Mrs. MacKinnon's wound to see Palmer looking in.

"Oh! Sorry!" Palmer said when he saw Aila.

"Aileana, this is Mr. Palmer, my assistant," Ducky said as an introduction. "Mr. Palmer, this is Aileana MacKinnon. These are her parents," Ducky said, gesturing to the bodies laid out on the table.

Palmer walked forward, extending his hand to shake, and said, "Call me Jimmy."

"You can call me Aila, then," she said, only offering a very small smile.

"The cotton swabs are in the second drawer on the left hand side, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said, answering his original question.

"Thank you, Doctor," Jimmy said, retrieving the cotton swabs and going back to the truck.

"Now, you can see here that there is some discolouration..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"What is your relationship with the MacKinnon family?" Tony asked Kenton. They were in the interrogation room. The Special Agent knew that Gibbs was watching from behind the glass, which only served to fuel a sense of uneasiness about this interrogation.

"I'm Sean's first mate," he said simply.

"Did you know, prior to today, any other member of the MacKinnon family?" Tony asked, continuing with his string of questions.

"Sure I did. I spend every Saturday of shore leave over at their house. Nairne made the most delicious pies for us, while Aila studied in the library," Kenton said simply.

"What is your relationship with Aila MacKinnon?" Tony asked. He felt somewhat like an overprotective brother asking that question, but it was relevant to the investigation.

"We dated a year or so ago, but we've just been friends since then," he said, shrugging.

"Did you kill Sean and Nairne MacKinnon?" Tony asked bluntly.

"No!" Kenton exclaimed vehemently.

"Did you?" Tony yelled, slamming a hand down on the table.

"No! ...but I know who did," Kenton said, controlling his expression like a true marine.

"Who?" Tony asked, surprised by this turn of events.

"Hestin. He came over to the MacKinnons one night with me. Since then, he couldn't shut up about Aila," Kenton said bitterly, his eyes riveted on Tony. He was telling the truth.

"But you didn't like that, did you?" Tony pressed.

"No, I didn't! He had no right!" Kenton yelled, surprising everyone that was watching. He was quite suddenly standing, gripping the table in anger.

Unknown to Tony, McGee, Kate, and Gibbs also stood behind the glass in the observation room. "Do you think they were still dating then?" Kate asked McGee.

Every time someone mentioned that Aila had dated anyone, McGee felt bile rise in his throat. He forced himself to answer calmly, "It would explain why he's yelling."

"Maybe he still cares for her," Kate suggested.

"You still love her," Tony said, deriving that from the man's expressions.

Kenton clamped his jaw tightly shut and sat down.

"She didn't feel the same, did she?" Tony asked, probing further into the matter.

"Of course not, you idiot! How could she when I had to leave the next day?" Kenton yelled, absolutely furious. "I came back and she was dating some guy she knew at Harvard!" Kenton then sighed angrily before saying,

"_O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;"_

"What?" Tony asked.

"_What's gone, and what's past help should be past_ _grief," _Kenton continued, "_That way madness lies_."

"Well, I bet you've watched over her since then," Tony said.

"I am not a stalker!" Kenton exclaimed, interrupting Tony.

"I never said you were," Tony said, trying to remain calm.

Kenton glared at him for a couple of seconds before Tony continued by saying, "You watched her enough to know her schedule. You'd know that her parents took a walk every morning. You killed them as revenge!"

"I did not! I love Aila! I would never do that to her!" Kenton exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"He's telling the truth," Kate and Gibbs said at the same time.

"He's not saying everything, though," McGee said, surprising them both in how well he read Kenton.

"Very good, McGee. Now, find anyone else that could have known that family's schedule," Gibbs said.

"Got it, Boss," McGee said, hurrying out of the observation room.

"Kate, go see what Abby's got," he continued.

Kate nodded and left for the elevator.

As soon as the two of them were gone, Gibbs went into the interrogation room and brought Tony outside.

"Dinozzo, are you emotional about this case?" he asked.

"No, Boss," Tony responded a little too quickly.

Gibbs slapped him in the back of the head and said, "You care for her."

Tony sighed and said, "Yes."

"You go stay with her. I'll handle the interrogation," Gibbs said, frustrated that his team had come to care for her so quickly.

"Got it, Boss," Tony said, eager to go see Aila again.

ooooooooo

Down in autopsy, Tony walked in on Ducky telling one of his stories to Aila, who seemed genuinely interesting in what he was saying.

"Hey, Aila!" Tony called from the door to autopsy.

"Tony!" Aila said happily, running over to hug Tony.

"Ducky was telling me a fascinating story of how he once saw a similar trajectory in a gunshot wound," Aila said, running happily back over to Ducky.

oooooooooo

When Gibbs walked into interrogation, Kenton's head was down on the table and he was whispering to himself:

"_Canst thou O cruel, say I love thee not,  
When I against my self with thee partake?  
Do I not think on thee when I forgot  
Am of my self, all-tyrant, for thy sake?  
Who hateth thee that I do call my friend,  
On whom frown'st thou that I do fawn upon,  
Nay if thou lour'st on me do I not spend  
Revenge upon my self with present moan?  
What merit do I in my self respect,  
That is so proud thy service to despise,  
When all my best doth worship thy defect,  
Commanded by the motion of thine eyes?  
But love hate on for now I know thy mind,  
Those that can see thou lov'st, and I am blind."_

"Shakespeare?" Gibbs asked, startling Kenton.

Kenton bolted upright and stared at Gibbs for a second before saying, "Sonnet 149. Aila read it to me once."

"You want to protect her," Gibbs said bluntly.

"_Frailty, thy name is woman_," Kenton quoted sadly.

"What do you know about Hestin?" he asked.

"He was on the _Normandy_ with Sean and me…"

"Where would he hide out?" Gibbs demanded.

"There are warehouses on the base. He's probably in one of them," Kenton said.

And Gibbs left. _I'll follow him to serve my turn upon him. There's no way I'm going to sit around in an interrogation room while Aila is in danger, no matter what these people say._

_ooooooooooo  
_

"Who is she staying with tonight?" Kate asked in the Squad room.

"She can stay with me," Tony said almost immediately.

"I don't think so, Dinozzo," Gibbs said, walking in.

"I can-" Tim began.

"No," Gibbs interrupted bluntly.

"Well, I-" Kate began.

"No," Gibbs said, "She'll stay with me."

The elevator door opened a minute later and Ducky strode out with his arm around Aila. They looked just like family. "Ah, Jethro, here's the young lady," Ducky said, leading her over to him.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked.

"_How poor are they that have not patience!"_ Aila said before nearly running over to hug Tony and Kate.

"_Two Gentlemen of Verona_?" Ducky asked.

"_Othello,"_ Aila corrected.

"Good night," Kate said fondly as Aila broke away.

Aila smiled and said, "Same to you, _grande sorella_." (Big sister)

"_Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow,"_ Ducky said, hugging Aila.

"_That I shall say good night till it be morrow,"_ Aila finished.

"Bye, _grande fratello,"_ Aila said quickly to Tony. (Big brother)

"Bye, Tim!" she said, waving at him as he sat at his desk. He only smiled fondly at her.

"Alright, come on, Aila," Gibbs said impatiently.

"_A long farewell to all my greatness,"_ Aila said jokingly as she followed him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The ride in Gibbs's car was silent. Aila clung to the handle of the door. Her eyes were wide and her muscles tense. These muscles only relaxed when the car screeched to a halt in front of a Chinese Restaurant.

Gibbs got out of the car and, before closing the door, said to her, "Stay in the car."

Aila only had to wait for a few minutes before Gibbs returned with a paper bag in hand. He set it in the back seat before taking his place once more in the driver's seat.

The second half of the ride was as silent as the first. It ended in the car pulling up beside a very ordinary looking house in a very ordinary neighbourhood. It reminded her of her own neighbourhood, to which she would rather not return.

Gibbs got out and slammed the door before Aila had even opened hers. He was already walking to the front door by the time she had alighted from the car. Aila quickly ran forward before slowing to walk in step with the special agent.

He barely even stopped at the front door. That idea frightened Aila: the door wasn't locked. How safe was a house where the door wasn't even locked?

She had little time to ponder that as Gibbs strode inside. As he did, he pointed at one door off to her right and said, "Bathroom."

He kept walking with Aila following him through the sparse entry hall. The walls were white, and hardly had any pictures adorning those walls. The floor was of a medium shade of wood. The whole scene was dimly lit by an overhead light that was quite plain, much like the rest of the place. Perhaps he spent all his money on coffee and couldn't afford any home improvement?

They came to another door on either end of the hallway. He pointed to the left and said, "My room." Then, he pointed to the right and said as they passed the door, "Your room."

He kept walking to the door at the end of the hall. He opened that as well and went down the wooden stairs beyond. "And basement," he said to her as she sped up to keep up with him.

As Aila walked quickly down the stairs, she looked around at the basement. There was a worktable and a few chairs on one side, and a few shelves were collecting dust nearby. However, nothing drew her attention so much as the partially completed boat in the centre of the room.

"Come on," Gibbs said impatiently from the work table. Aila's head snapped toward him. Only then did she realize she had been standing and staring at the boat. She turned and walked quickly over to the table.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to a chair on the other side of the table. Aila quickly walked around the table and sat opposite him. Once she was situated, Gibbs silently set out two take-out Chinese boxes. He handed one and a pair of chopsticks to her.

"Thank you," she said as she opened her box. Chicken fried rice, basic but classic.

As soon as she had begun to eat, Gibbs asked calmly, "Who's Kenton?"

Aila looked up at his face before she answered. She chose her words very carefully, "He was my father's first mate."

"Did you know him well?" Gibbs asked, prodding further.

"He came over for dinner with my parents every Saturday of shore leave," she said cautiously.

"You must've gotten to know him well," Gibbs observed before taking a swig from some bourbon that had been sitting out in a coffee mug.

Aila smiled slightly and said, "We're friends. He visited me as much as he could while I was in school. We even..."

"You what?" Gibbs asked, looking up at her before beginning to eat his beef and broccoli.

Aila looked up at him again. Outwardly, he appeared completely uninterested. Inwardly, she suspected he was listening carefully and takng in every detail. She took a breath before saying, "He and I dated for two months. I tried to end it the day before he left for sea, but...he told me he loved me and proposed...The next thing I heard, he attacked an officer on the _Normandy_, Lieutenant George Hestin."

Instantly, Gibbs's eyes snapped up to study her carefully. "Why wasn't this on his file?" Gibbs asked.

"My father dealt with it personally. He said that it was a personal matter between them. When Daniel, Kenton that is, talked to me next, he said that Hestin had been talking inappropriately about someone. From the two accounts, I know they were arguing about me."

"How can you be sure about that?" Gibbs asked sceptically.

"I've only met Hestin a few times, but he seemed rather taken by me. That was back when I was taking 20 credits rather than the 12 I'm doing now, so I didn't have time for a boyfriend," she explained.

"What field are you going into?" Gibbs asked. His surprise and respect for her were both growing with everything he learned about her.

Aila hugged and said honestly, "I haven't decided that. I was just going to get a few more degrees before I turn 21, then decide from there."

"How can you afford that?" he asked.

"I won a full scholarship to Harvard based on my previous accomplishments," she said simply and modestly.

Gibbs's jaw very nearly dropped in surprise. Only his years of stoicism prevented that altogether rare occurrence. "When was the last time they gave a scholarship?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm the second person to receive a scholarship for Harvard. That's part of why I intend to stay in school for another couple degrees," she explained.

Much of the night was spent talking thusly, though no more of their discussion pertained to the case. With each passing hour, Gibbs grew to respect Aila more and more, and Aila, in turn, grew to like Gibbs despite his quirks and aversion to showing emotions other than annoyance or anger.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The squad room was, as always filled with the noises of people talking, typing, and doing other such tasks. In the midst of this, Tony sat at his computer looking through Hestin's records. Thus far, he had found nothing to suggest that he had killed Aila's parents.

Aila...he was anxious for her to arrive. He knew she should be safe at Gibbs's, but he wouldn't be satisfied until she was here, where he could see her. When this case was over, he'd have to keep in contact with her. He was too fond of her already to just break all contact with her. Rule #19 was definitely blown out of the water.

Across the aisle, Ziva was looking at Kenton's records. Nothing seemed amiss about them. There was no reason for his actions that she could find in the file. For all she could tell, he was a model sailor.

At the next desk over, McGee was calling other officers from the _Normandy_, hoping to find a clue. Over and over, she heard that the Captain, Kenton, and Hestin had all been close. There was no reason to think that either of the two officers would kill their captain.

In the midst of this, a phone rang. Tony answered automatically and talked for a few seconds before hanging up. He then stood and grabbed a backpack from behind him. He walked into the aisle between the two rows of desks and said, "Gear up. Gibbs is in a car crash, and Aila's gone."

Instantly, the other three were on their feet and grabbing their own backpacks.

"Where are we going?" McGee asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"Hestin's house, like we should've right away," Tony answered as the doors closed.

oooooooooooooo

When Aila woke, her whole body ached, but especially her head. Opening her eyes helped nothing, as she was apparently somewhere dark. Her other senses told her it was cold, dry, and completely silent.

Hesitantly, she called out, "Hello?"

Her voice seemed to resound off the walls. It seemed to disturb the dark silence which had oppressed her ears, yet it did not help.

Once more, she called out, "Hello?" The only answer she received was the silence continued to press down upon her ears, making this experience yet more frightening by the lack of both sound and sight.

She couldn't think, couldn't remember why she was here or how she got here.

Carefully, she felt around her for any clue. Her hand bumped something solid. Slowly, it travelled up. It was flat, tall and smooth. It was probably the wall.

Right now, she didn't feel brave enough to continue her search, so she just sat against the wall, thinking back.

She had been at Gibbs's house. He had asked her questions, questions about Hestin, Kenton, her parents, their history, the _Normandy_, anything that would help with the case. She had gone to bed.

In the morning, Gibbs had driven her to NCIS. No! They hadn't made it. A car had hit them. When they stopped, the man had knocked out Gibbs. She'd seen it from inside the car. He'd come over and knocked her out, too. It had been Hestin! He had kidnapped her!

Why?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

McGee, Ziva, and Tony walked up to a plain-looking house in Norfolk. Nothing at all seemed out of place about it. Tony got to the door first and pulled out a wire to pick the lock. Within a minute, he was finished. Just before he opened the door, Ziva asked, "Do you have the warrant?"

"Yes, I have the warrant. Now, let's go in," he said, pushing the door open.

"Gloves and cameras first," Tony reminded them. They all nodded and quickly readied their crime scene supplies.

"Alright. Let's stop wasting time," McGee said, stepping in before the other two.

The three agents searched the house together room by room. First, they checked the living room. A laptop sat out on the table. "McGeek, get the PC," Tony instructed, pointing to the laptop. McGee rolled his eyes but got to work in the interest of time.

Ziva continued to the next room: the kitchen. It seemed perfectly ordinary. She moved on along with Tony. The next room in the house was farther down the hall. Tony opened the door and stepped inside only to stop in surprise.

"What is it?" Ziva asked, looking over Tony's shoulder at the room. She, too, stopped short, aghast.

The room was totally devoid of furniture, and the walls were completely covered in pictures of Aila. Not a single inch of the wall was showing. Strewn about on the floor were candles and feminine articles of clothing.

"He was stalking her," Tony said bluntly in horror.

"I'm calling Gibbs," Ziva said, whipping out her phone.

"_Yeah?"_ came Gibbs's voice from the other end of the line.

"Hestin was stalking Aila," Ziva said bluntly.

"_How do you know?"_ he asked.

"He had a whole room of pictures of her," Ziva said, repressing a shudder.

"_Do you know where he took her?"_ Gibbs asked.

"No," Ziva said, sounding a little more normal.

The line went dead.

Almost the same second, McGee hurried into the room and said urgently, "I know where he is!"

Instantly, the other two agents whipped around to face him. "Where?" they asked as one.

"Warehouse district of the Norfolk base by Wiloughby Bay. Building C," he said quickly.

Straight away, Ziva and Tony took off at a dead run for the car. McGee was not far behind.

ooooooooo

Dark. Always so dark.

Cold. Never any heat.

Silence. No sound.

She could fix the last, if only she could find the courage to make a sound. That came with time and a great deal of listening. She could, for sure, hear no one.

Tentatively, she tested her voice, saying, "Hello." It was weak, but that was due more to fear. Carefully, she cleared her throat and opened her mouth. She stopped there and realized that she had no idea what she was going to say or do. After only a second of thought, she knew what she would do, or rather sing.

She took a carefully deep breath and began to sing.

No more talk of darkness.

Forget these wide-eyed fears.

I'm here. Nothing can harm you.

My words will warm and calm you.

Let me be your freedom.

Let daylight dry your tears.

I'm here. With you, beside you.

To guard you and to guide you.

Say you love me every waking moment.

Turn my head with talk of summertime.

Say you need me with you now and always.

Promise me that all you say is true.

That's all I ask of you.

Let me be your shelter.

Let me be your light, your safe.

No one will find you.

Your fears are far behind you.

All I want is freedom.

A world with no more night.

And you always beside you

To hold me and to hide me.

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.

let me lead you from your solitude.

Say you need me with you, here beside you.

Anywhere you go let me go too.

That's all I ask of you.

Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.

Say the word and I will follow you.

Share each day with me, each night, each morning.

Say you love me.

You know I do.

Love me, that's all I ask of you...

"That's what I love about you, Aila. You do what I want even when I'm not here," a hauntingly familiar voice said from across the room.

"What have you done to Kenton?" Aila demanded.

"_It seems to me most strange that men should fear;_

_ Seeing that death, a necessary end,_

_ Will come when it will come,"_ Hestin answered her. A second later, light flooded the room.

Quickly, Aila shielded her eyes from the light and yelled blindly at him, "You killed him! You foul piece of-"

Hestin silenced her by placing his hand over her mouth. "Now Aila," he said, "You wouldn't want to be the cause of Agent McGee's death, now would you?" From the look in her eyes, she most surely did not want that. He smirked before removing his hand. She remained silent.

"Play for me, Aila," Hestin demanded, pushing her violin into her hands.

She took the violin from his hands and put it under her chin. She took the bow from him and placed it near the strings.

Quickly, she ran the bow across two strings, tuning. Hestin looked at her for a second before rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

_The song is Andrew Lloyd Webber's "All I Ask of You" from "Phantom of the Opera"._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The car screeched around a corner. Two agents inside clung to the door handles while the third held the wheel tightly between her hands. As soon as they were going straight, relatively at least, Tony whipped out his phone and called Gibbs.

"_Yeah?_"

"He has her in the warehouse district of Norfolk base. Building C by Willoughby Bay," Tony said quickly.

A second later, Gibbs hung up.

oooooooooooo

In a few more seconds, she was done tuning. She placed the bow by the stings again before beginning to play the theme from _Schindler's List_.

She finished the sad song before taking the violin from under her chin. However, Hestin had a different idea. He took hold of the instrument and shoved it back into position. "Sing as well this time."

Aila merely sighed before putting the bow back in place as well. She sighed before playing _Un Giorno Per Moi._

In the middle of the song, she heard a door slam somewhere else in the warehouse. Hestin heard it and grabbed the violin from her hands. He threw it to the side, where it broke quite loudly. Less than a second later, Aila could hear footsteps running toward them.

Angry, Hestin unsheathed his knife and cut her on her leg and arm in one, swift motion. His other hand clamped over her mouth so that she could not make a sound. She bit his hand, forcing _him _to cry out in pain rather than her.

He stabbed her twice in the leg before a sound stopped him.

"Freeze! Federal agents! Put your weapon on the ground!" Kate yelled, levelling her gun at the man's chest.

The tall, knife-wielding man slowly stood up fully. He held his hands up near his head. In his right hand, he still held his large chef's knife. The knife was covered in blood, Aila's blood.

On the table only five feet away from the man, a loaded gun sat. The man glanced at it, giving away his intentions to the federal agents.

"Step away from the table!" she demanded, taking a step toward him.

The man lunged at the gun, grabbing it and pointing it threateningly at Kate. "Drop your weapon or I will shoot!" Kate said, entirely serious.

Suddenly, the man whirled and pointed the gun at Aila. "No, you drop it! I'll shoot her!"

"Drop your weapon!" Gibbs demanded, running forward with a gun pointed straight at the man.

"Set your weapons on the ground or I will shoot her!" the man demanded.

A shot rang out, followed closely by another. A high-pitched scream and the sound of a body hitting the ground followed soon after.

Now that the man was not blocking their line of sight, the two agents saw Aila. Her legs were strapped tightly into a dentistry chair while she bled heavily and screamed.

The federal agents rushed forward to her, hurriedly unstrapping her. As soon as her hands were free, she pulled her arms and legs into the foetal position, screaming and crying.

Gibbs immediately picked her up and dashed out of the ware house yelling, "Kate! Ambulance!"

Within minutes, the ambulance arrived to see a federal agent hovering over a tortured young woman who was cradled in the arms of another federal agent as a father would hold his child.

They sedated her and hurried her to the hospital, trying to stop the bleeding. Gibbs and Ziva followed in their car, going straight to the waiting room.


	9. Chapter 9

_"I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie_

**Chapter Nine**

In a shorter time than was expected, Kate, Tony, Tim, Abby, Ducky, and Gibbs were all in the hospital waiting room for one person: Aila McKinnon.

Almost the second a doctor walked through the ER doors, Abby was out of her seat running toward him. The rest were slower than her, but not by a lot.

"Will she be okay? Will she make it through?" Abby asked urgently.

"We have her stabilized, but she's in a coma. She might die if she gives up."

"What wrong with her?" Abby asked the second he stopped talking.

"She has five stitches each in her arm and leg and two stab wounds in her other leg. We removed the bullets from her left hand and chest. The one in her hand somehow missed all of the bones and went straight through, but we're worried about her chest wound. It grazed her left lung and caused a large amount of internal bleeding. We think we've stopped it, but we just can't know for sure."

They all heard it. They'd had enough experience with matters like this to know that if she didn't was too traumatized, she wouldn't live. She had to want to live, and even then it was no sure thing.

Silently, the six people returned to their seats. Each of them just wanted to think, except Kate. Kate prayed for Aila.

The song playing softly over the speakers certainly didn't help the situation.

Love of mine someday you will die

But I'll be close behind

I'll follow you into the dark

_ Such a darling young woman...She doesn't deserve to die, yet...And she was so interested in all of my stories, even though we were in autopsy. It's almost like she's my niece..._

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white

Just our hands clasped so tight

Waiting for the hint of a spark

_ If only she was my sister...With her around, I'd never have to be worried about my dad...She didn't even think I was obnoxious...With her, everything's bright and new...Someone like that doesn't deserve to die...If she lives, no...don't think like that...oh, Aila, my sort of-not really- I wish- little sister..._

If Heaven and Hell decide

That they both are satisfied

Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you

When your soul embarks

Then I'll follow you into the dark

_My poor, little Rose, what has that guy done to you? When will you be back in my lab, so we can talk, listen to tunes, and make Bart fart? There was, like, something wrong as soon as you were gone...I couldn't work once you were gone. It was too quiet, too empty...Pull through, little almost-sister!..._

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule

I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black

And I held my tongue as she told me

"Son, fear is the heart of love"

So I never went back

_That poor girl...How did she handle Tony? He's so obnoxious and annoying...Then again, she seemed to almost mellow him out...And she was always so happy, almost like she had a light inside of her...Please, Lord, let that light not go out. Amen..._

If Heaven and Hell decide

That they both are satisfied

Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you

When your soul embarks

Then I'll follow you into the dark

_Aila, what have you done to my team? They were almost...happy...but now, well...You know, you remind me of...If she Shannon could see you, she'd think you were...I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough..._

You and me have seen everything to see

From Bangkok to Calgary

And the soles of your shoes are all worn down

The time for sleep is now

It's nothing to cry about

'cause we'll hold each other soon

In the blackest of rooms

_Aila...oh, Aila...Please...Oh, God, I can't even think now! What'll happen if...No...That can't happen...I wouldn't get a chance to tell you...I can't even admit it to myself, but I want to tell her? How messed up am I?...Okay, if I admit it to myself, then maybe I can tell her before she...Don't think like that!...Aila, I love you...Please, get better, even if it's only so you can accidentally almost spill tea on me...Please, Aila...I miss you..._

If Heaven and Hell decide

That they both are satisfied

Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you

When your soul embarks

Then I'll follow you into the dark

Then I'll follow you into the dark


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

More than an hour later, a doctor walked out from the ER. All of them immediately leapt to their feet and hurried over to the doctor. "Is she alright? Will she recover? What's wrong with her?" Abby asked, worried.

"Abby!" Gibbs said sharply, impatient to hear of Aila.

"I take it you're here for Miss MacKinnon," the Doctor said. Abby nodded vigourously. "She might not recover. It's all up to her right now, but off the record, I believe she's lost the will to live."

The entire team relaxed visibly before the doctor continued. "However, when someone suffers injuries like that, they almost always suffer psychological damage as well. You can see her now, but not more than one at a time."

"I'll go!" Abby exclaimed almost immediately.

The others nodded, wishing they would be next. Abby quickly followed the doctor to the room where Aila was.

As soon as she saw Aila's injured form on the hospital bed, Abby ran to her side, taking one of her hands in her own as she said quickly, "You need to get better! Please, please, please get better! Tony and Tim are going crazy without you! Even Gibbs misses you- well, he's more tense than usual...Please, get better. All of us miss you!"

Aila did not wake.

ooooooooo

Gibbs slowly walked into Aila's hospital room. She lay on the bed. One of her arms was elevated in a cast. Her whole body was bandaged, except for parts of her face and her right hand. She truly looked like a torture victim.

He walked to her side and sat silently in the armchair by her side. Carefully, he took her right hand in his and laid his head on the hospital bed beside her arm.

His head rested there for several seconds until he heard a voice. "It wasn't your fault, Jethro," Ducky said from behind him.

"If I had been faster, she wouldn't have been shot. I should have gotten there sooner," Gibbs said in a lower, sad voice.

"She would not have wanted you to beat yourself up over this," Ducky said, walking closer.

"She should never have had to go through this. I should have kept her here, where she was safe!"

"What's done is done. She'll recover-."

"And then she'll leave, just like Kelly was taken from me," Gibbs said bitterly.

"She might stay," Ducky suggested.

Gibbs snorted and asked, "Why would she stay?"

"You've become her father in the short time that she's known you. She won't leave that… Jethro, she needs you," Ducky said, hoping to convince him.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Tim walked into Aila's hospital room. The ache in his heart doubled when he saw the red-head lying on the hospital bed, bruised and bandaged.

He sat in that same arm chair and sat, merely gazing upon her for several minutes. Finally, he sighed and took her hand in his. What would she think of them all?

"Please, Aila, wake up. Come back to us…Come back to me. The whole team misses you…Come back to us…We'll be your family…"

"I thought you already were…" a week voice said from the bed.

"Aila!" Tim exclaimed.

"Tim," she said softly, smiling though her eyes were closed.

"How much did you hear?"

"Your team misses me? How long was I out?"

"About two hours," he said.

"Tim?"

"Aila?"

"Will you…touch my face?...I can't feel all of it…" Aila said hesitantly.

"Sure…" Tim said equally as hesitantly. He reached out his hand and laid it on her cheek.

"Ah, I can feel it," she said gently, closing her eyes in relief.

"_To sleep, perchance to dream,"_ Aila whispered.

_ "A thousand times good night,"_ Tim returned.


End file.
